Semi handmade can’t make flat panels , really give me a break. BTW by the time you finish you should have got custom Why did you not just do the Walnut from Ikea

BTW, we just got our first painting bid: $26,000 to paint our single story, 2,250 square foot home (on a flat lot, empty house, new drywall, no special challenges). Not sure what's going on lately, but contractors seem to be coming into our area with big dollar signs in their eyes.

I find sometimes they just throw out a total and hope we are too stupid to argue and honestly semi handmade should be ashamed if they can.t make the panels. When we moved to where we are I did not want to do the drywall so wanted some quotes and they were ridiculous and a I soon figured out they really didn’t want the work because all the money was up the lake now I don’t ask those guys when I have a job BTW I di my own drywall and mudding

Just thinking of doing this same thing and came across your post. What did you end up doing?

@ramseyjk, we just ended up going with the standard Semihandmade customization, with wood veneer panels in the front but left the sides glossy white IKEA. Funny, I was just looking at our master bath vanity today wondering how others might view it (too "two-toned"?). But honestly in the scheme of things it's not something I think much, especially these days.

If I had to do it again, and had plenty of funds, I might go ahead and get all sides veneered somehow. At least in the master bath. In my son's bathroom, we did a smaller vanity with Semihandmade mahogany front, and since it's a much smaller bathroom, you rarely notice the white side.

Also, we went with all-IKEA (Godmorgon + high gloss white Ringhult) in our guest bath, and I like that a lot, too!

i love seeing your Godmorgon vanities! I just put together the cabinet frame and we are now working on fortifying our studs/walls to support the weight of the vanity. I know it will be ok, but there's just something in my brain that can't comprehend a 100lb+ unit being hung from a wall and not collapsing!

BTW, @Mittens Cat , did you use an ikea faucet or another type? I am thinkig of swapping out for a different brand. Any issues with installing? I have heard some faucets may not be compatible?

Frameless cabinets utilize “cover panels” not “veneer sides”. That’s basically a custom sized applied door. Very very simple to both order and apply.

@thisisnotadrill, I also had that concern but my GC was adamant it didn't need extra support. Hmm, time will tell Ii guess (my fear is some guest will decide to stand on it to knock down a spider or something!). As far as faucets, we used IKEA in my son's bathroom and powder room, and Delta faucets in master and guest baths. Not a big issue and I'm pretty sure I started a thread over a year ago about that very subject:

IKEA sinks and non IKEA faucets

There are lots of other similar threads, too, like this: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4467435/help-ikea-godmorgon-vanity-sink-non-ikea-faucet#n=11

@JuneKnow thanks. I'm just a few sips into my morning tea...you're correct. Though a cabinet maker here on house told me privately that pretty much any IKEA panel could be wrapped (well, dressed) in a wood veneer, though it takes a certain amount of skill. The one problem I heard about is that that very thin veneer, when wrapped around the edges, is sometimes just thick enough to mess up the door/drawer alignment so they don't close properly. As much as I am not a big fan of the two-tone look, I decided not to risk it.

I gues Ikea must change the color offerings of Godmorgan every few years or so? When I bought mine recently the only choices were white gloss, a gray (I think) and the one i got which is a walnut color. I do like the two toned one you have although I don't know how it'd look in my space. Wouldn't the frame on the front have to be wrapped as well? (I don't know how to describe it, but the parts where the drawer fronts hit the front of the cabinet - isn't that white too)?

@thisisnotadrill, last time I was at IKEA (oh, those glorious days of freedom!) I believe they had at least 6 or 8 different choices for Godmorgon finishes.

I went with the high gloss white Ringhult for two of mine and the lowest-cost standard white for my son's, then plussed up one with Semihandmade walnut front and another with Semihandmade mahogany front (leaving guest room to be all glossy white). These Semihandmade veneer fronts replaced (substituted for) the IKEA fronts (I now have those leftover IKEA front pieces sitting on the curb, looking for a home).

Edgebanding the front of the boxes is done in higher end frameless. It’s not done in lower end because the doors and drawer fronts cover the boxes completely.

Mittens Cat-

Glad you left the sides white...looks good. And based on my decades of experiences as an amateur woodworker I can tell you that applying veneer properly and getting it perfect on an outside corner can be a bit of a challenge, to say nothing of getting the tone and glossiness to match a factory applied finish.

@ykagan, cool designs there though i presume the side option has to be done before assembling the vanity, yes?

I have no idea, TBH. But looking at the video they have on the site looks like they are applying it before assembling.

@Mittens Cat - what is the name of the tile you used in your third photo above (I think it’s your son’s bathroom)? It looks AMAZING!

From the little pieces I’ve seen, your house must be lovely! I don’t think anyone who saw the third photo would ever think that you used an IKEA vanity. The bathroom looks very fashionable. I’d love to see you your other bathrooms turned out! Thanks!

@dani_m08, thanks--my son picked it out. It's Seneca Tiles' "Studio" line; the color is Sea Glass. It is even more gorgeous in person! Reasonably priced, too (less than half the cost of Walker Zanger, Ann Sacks, et al). Their other colors in this line are just as yummy. Tough to decide!

Seneca Tiles

And as for how our other bathrooms turned out, well...I'm still in suspense myself because we have yet to finish them! LOL! Waiting to be fully vaxxed and properly funded! :-D

I also love how everything turned out! Thanks so much for your detailed posts and comments, they are very helpful. Especially the price comparisons, although with the current lumber pricing and shortages, I'm assuming there will be a jump by the time we are ready to actually order. The Seneca Tile is about the first tile that I've fallen in love with which might've been in our price range, other than marble (yes, yes, I know, very different, don't judge, you Houzz haters, I know you're out there LOL). BUT apparently their factory JUST burned down six months ago, so they've stopped production for the time being. I liked how you used a thin strip of the tile just behind the vanity - it is beautiful but not overstated.

@Kim S, oh no! I did not know that about the Seneca factory, wow, what a shame! hope they recover quickly.

As for the thin strip of tile you mentioned behind the vanity...if you're referring to my son's vanity, I think that's just an optical illusion (reflection of the Seneca tile on the IKEA white sink). Though the sink does have a tiny lip at the back, which you can see here:

Odensvik Sink

@Mittens Cat - I wasn’t able to purchase the Seneca tile you used (maybe related to the fire?) - I found this one instead:

The tiles are difficult to photograph - they have a bit more color in real life. The color has quite a bit of variation - similar to the Seneca tiles.

I’d really like to use in my master bathroom because it’s gorgeous tile - especially with natural light. However, I kinda feel like I’m trying to force it there with the marble tile I’m using. I don’t want to have too many ”stars” in one room.

I really like your floor tiles - I was too focused on the wall tile in your son’s bathroom, and the walnut drawer fronts in your master bathroom, when I looked at the photos before! Do you mind sharing some information on the tiles you used? My plan is to use slate tiles in this bathroom (I used 4x12 slate tile in a herringbone pattern in another bathroom and LOVE them). I like the variation in the tiles you used - they have a natural stone appearance (I’m assuming that they are porcelain) - very pretty. The slate is a bit darker than the tiles you’ve used - yours may look better with the tiles I want to use behind the vanity. Did you use the Seneca tiles in the shower also?

Did you consider custom drawer fronts from anyone other than Semihandmade? I need to decide on which custom drawer fronts to purchase ASAP. I think that I’m just going to order ones through Semihandmade. To be honest, I’m tired of ordering samples + tired of making decisions! I am glad that I ordered the Semihandmade samples (I almost didn’t) because some of them look very different than photos on their website. I do like your walnut veneer drawer fronts.

My SO dismissed all of the wood tone samples - except for one that had some gray in it. I told him that I think the walnut is more of a “neutral element” since it’s actual wood veneer (not thermafoil/laminate/melamine) without any stain = the natural color of the wood. I’m going to show him your bathroom above. Plus, similar toned wood elements have been used in the photo I’ve included above, and I think they look beautiful with the tile.

I didn’t think about the lack of edge banding on the cabinet until reading through this thread. Based upon the photos you’ve posted, I don’t see the white cabinet boxes between the drawer fronts. I also think that the white sides work with your walnut drawers. My vanity is in an alcove so no sides will be showing. I do have to order a filler piece in order to scribe an additional 2 inches along each side wall. I do wonder how noticeable the white edges would be on an entire IKEA kitchen that has darker custom doors/drawer fronts.

Sorry for all the questions/thoughts. You just really did a nice job - and appear to have a good eye for color/style!

@dani_m08, thanks for the compliment on my eye for style but it's a laugh because it's been 18 months and I still have yet to choose kitchen backsplash, bathroom mirrors, window coverings and a zillion other things, lol!

Anyway, re the bathroom floor tile (we did it in all bathrooms) it's Unicom, Board Collection, in Graphite, 12x24" and I love it! yes, porcelain. I believe it was $5.99 SF from our local tile store. Re getting other samples for the vanities, yes, I looked at quite a few. I think it came down to Semihandmade and The Cabinet Face. I finally went with Semi because they're more local and I figured it might be easier to get them to fix things if things went awry. And I also was yuck at the fake wood options. Funny that I hate that fake stuff yet I'm ok with porcelain that looks like natural stone! Ha ha.

Also, those tiles you have are gorgeous!